Cypress Hill Singer Loses Grand Theft Auto Lawsuit

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Michael "Shagg" Washington unable to prove that San Andreas stole his likeness.

By Andrew Goldfarb

Former Cypress Hill backup singer Michael “Shagg” Washington has lost his lawsuit against Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar games. Washington sued Rockstar in 2010, alleging that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas used his likeness as the inspiration for main character Carl “C.J.” Johnson without his knowledge.

Washington was suing for $250 million, but after multiple rulings, the California appeals court has found that Washington “failed to establish a probability of defeating Take-Two's First Amendment-based ‘transformative use’ defense,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Washington reportedly failed to prove that his face was actually in San Andreas, with a judge saying the "plaintiff is relying entirely on C.J.'s physical appearance in the game, but that appearance is so generic that it necessarily includes hundreds of other black males." The judge added that Washington “would have needed to present evidence like tattoos, birthmarks or other physical features” or linked C.J.’s background to his own in order to win the case.